Bobbin-winding machine



P. A. HERR BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE Filed July 29 1918 6 Sheets-Sheet l[Win11 7 MW I: In

INVENTOR WITNESSES P. A. HERR BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE Filed July 29. 19186 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WITNESSES I I I fiAJc L/{ 972x95 a/Q vATTORNEY Jufi 1 1924. 1, %,925

P. A. HERR BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE Filed July 29. 1918 e Sheets-Sheet zINVENTOR WITNESSES fl Q.

ATTORNEY July 1 1924.

P. A. HERR BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet A INVENTOR fl q lfin/14 Filed July 29 1918 WITNESSES mm. W

ATTORNEY P. A. HERE BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE Filed July 29 1918 esheets-sheet s WiTNESSES 6 Sheets-Sheet .6

ATTORNEY P A HERR BOBBIN WINDING MACHINE Filed July 29 1918 July 1,1924.

WIi'NESSES WM; fl

Patented July 1, 1924- onrrae PARK A. HERB, OF HILLSIDE, NEW JERSEY,ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTUR- ING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEWJERSEY.

BOBBIN-WINDING- MACHINE.

Application filed July 29, 1918. Serial No. 247,103.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PARK A. HERE, acitizen ofthe United States, residingat Hillside, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Bobbin-finding Machines,of which the following is a specification, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to machines for winding thread uponbobbins oneafter another without stopping its operation.

It aims to improve machines of the type mentioned heretofore in useprimarily to better their speed and reliability.

To attain high speed in operation it aims to provide a new and improvedorganization in which each of two separable rotary driving orclamp-heads is positively and continuously driven without interruptionoftheir rotation while a filled bobbin is being discharged and an emptybobbin placed between them. To attain high speed as well as reliabilityin operation it provides de-.

. bin and the supply and gripping of the thread end between an emptybobbin and a displaceable driving head at the commencement of a windingoperation. Thus it aims to reduce the time interval between thecompletion and commencement of thread winding operations and to reducethe waste of thread. It seeks also to improve the means for temporarilyholding and disposing of a filled bobbin.- To reduce the care andattention required of an operator, it aims to provide a magazine orhopper feed which is capable of handling any number of bobbins withoutjamming or choking and consequent interruption of successive windingoperations. To the attainment of the ends above mentioned, the inventioncomprises essentially a pair of rotary clamp-heads one of which ismovableor shiftable axially relative to the other to release and receivefilled and empty bobbins respectively and both of which are drivencontinuously and positively. The main-shaft of the machine from whichboth heads are driven positively is provided with a worm and when thethread on the bobbin being wound accumulates as much as desired afinger,'spring-pressed lightly thereagalnst, is shifted sufficiently torelease a movable sect-ion of a worm wheel arranged below the worm onthe main-shaft, and to allow the movable section under the action of itsown spring to intermesh with the worm on the main-shaft'completing thecontinuity of the worm-wheel and starting operation thereof. To theworm-wheel a number of cams are connected, and from these cams a hopperfeeding mechanism, a bobbin transferring mechanism, a thread severingmechanism and a thread holding mechanism are operated in proper sequenceto dis charge a filled bobbin and insert an empty bobbm without stoppingthe rotation of the main-shaft and clamp-heads directly geared thereto.

The invention is illustratedin the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1is a front elevation of a machine in which the invention is embodiedwith the hopper and chute omitted. Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with thehopper and chute in position. Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in sectionthrough the main-shaft of the machine. Fig. 4 is a detail partly insection of the thread-cutting mechanism. Fig. 5 is a transverse verticalsectional detail through the carriage for the displaceable clamp-head.Fig. 6 is a longitudinal vertical section through the carriage. Fig. 7is a left hand side elevation of the machine. Fig;

8 is a right hand side elevation of the mac ine. Fig. 9 is a transversevertical section through the space between the operable clamp-head'sviewed from the left hand end of the machine. Fig. 10 is a sectionaldetail through the worm and worm-wheel. Figs. 11 12 and 13 are detailsof a controlling finger and whose end rests shaped agitator therewithin,the cover-portion of the hopper being removed. Fig. 15 is a bottom lanview of the hopper and its upon the accumulated bobbin-thread. Fig.

.14 is an inside viewof the hopper and cone- '95 driving mec anism.-Fig-16 is a detail in its controlling lever andfinger.

The various trains of mechanism are supported by a frame of the formillustrated in the drawings and its stationary parts are everywhereindicated-by the numeral 1.

A main driving shaft 2 is supported in the bearings 3 and has securedthereto a rotary clamp-head 4, a worm 5 and a driving pulley 6. A pulley7 is looselysupported on the main-shaft adjacent the fast pulley.

Meshing with the worm 5 is a worm-wheel 8 having a movable section 9'yieldingly urged radially outward to complete the continuity of theteeth on the worm-wheel by a coil-spring 10 pocketed in a socket 11 inthe worm-wheel and extending laterally from the movable gear section isa triangularly shaped lug 12"which is engageable by a latch 13 havingbroad (wear) and narrow (trip) surfaces 14 and 15 the latter of which isnotched as indicated at 15. The latch 13 holds the loose gear section 9out of mesh with the worm while a bobbin is being filled. When thebobbin however is fully wound the latch releases'the gear-section andallows it to move into intermeshing relation with the worm to start asingle revolution of the worm-wheel.

In axial alinement with the main-shaft 2 is a shaft 16 rotatablysupported in a bearing 17 formed integral with a carriage 18 which isprovided underneath with a groove embracing a tongue 19 constituting afixed part of the frame. A handle 19 is provided for manual displacementof the carriage.

I The shaft 16 has'a second rotary clamphead 4 fixed thereon in opposedspaced relation with the clamp-head 4 on the mainshaft from which thesecond-clamp-head 4 derives its rotation through a countershaft axiallyto release a filled bobbin and clamp an empty bobbin. For this purpose apin 21 is secured to the under side of the car riage. with its split endembracing a collar 1 22 fastened to a rod 23 slidably supported in theframe of the machine beneath the carriage. A spring 24 coiled about therod 23 with one of its ends reacting against an adjustable bushing 25and the other of its ends pressing against the .collar 22 normally urgesthe axiall displaceable rotary clamphead toward t e non-displaceableclamphead. One end of the rod 23 is located adjacent the worm-wheel 8 inthe path of a lever 26 having a lug 27 which isengaged naeaeae .by thecam 28, when-the worm-wheel is rotated, to separate the rotaryclamp-heads.

Preferably, however, as shown in Fig. 18 the end of rod 23 is providedwith a pin 29 embraced by the slotted end 30 of a bellcrank 31 whoseopposite end 32 is provided with a pin 33 preventing accidentaldisplacement of the coil-spring 34 interposed between it and the tappetarm 35. A lug 36 on the first mentioned arm of the bellcrank is engagedby the cam 28 to effect separation of the rotary clamp-heads asheretofore explained. When, however, the cam 28 in its cycle ofoperations permits the coil-spring 24 to move the displaceable rotaryhead toward the relatively fixed head a cam 37 also movable with theworm-wheel is adapted to depress the tappet arm 35 and compress thecoil-spring 34 to increase the pressure, transmitted through thebellcrank 31 and pin 29 to the rod 23, with which an empty bobbin isinitially gripped.

In the lower part of the frame of the machine a rock-shaft 38 is suported on pivot pins 39 with a short arm 40 t ereof in juxtaposition toan adjustable tappet lever 41 fulcrumed on the pin 42 in the frame ofthe machine with a roller 43 on one of its ends in the path of a raisedcam 44 suitably secured to the worm-wheel, the opposite end 45 of theadjustable tappet arm being adapted to engage the short arm 40 on therock shaft 38 and at certain times move it in a counter-clockwisedirection, as viewed in Fig. 8, against the force of a spring 46 coiledabout the rock-shaft. An adjustable stop in the form of a screw 47 issecured to the rock-shaft and its free end in contact with a fixedportion of the frame limits the outward movement of the short arm 40'under the action of spring 46.

In rear of the rotary clamp-heads and fixed on the rock-shaft 38 is asegmental arm 48 having a recess 49 in its front end which registersbeneath the discharge end of a chute C when the segmental arm is in aretracted position. The back of the segmental arm 48 is concentric tothe axis of the rock-shaft 38 and when .the segmental arm advances toposition a bobbin between the rotary clamp-heads, the bottom of thechute is closed ofi and the bobbinssustained therein. The segmental armis not as Wide as the inside distance between the flanges of bobbins sothat the bobbins may straddle it. At the rear end of the segmental arm48 is fixedly secured an arcuatemember 50 carrying a thread-eye 51 whichbeing arranged on its free end is adjacent the winding point. Thethread-eye 51 is disposed between fixed thrcad-guides 52 and 53 so thatin its movement forward with the segmental arm 48 it increases thelength of thread between the fixed thread-guides and thereby takes upany slack thread that may exist between the winding point and the supplytension 54.. The fixed threadguide 52 is of relatively great length andits apertured end is located so far from the winding point that thethread distributes itself during a winding operation in a manner wellknown.

A gauge or finger 55 is adapted to rest upon the thread between theflanges of a bobbin being wound and to be displaced by the accumulatedthread to trip the latch 13 on a common support therewith and thereby toallow the loose section of the worm-wheel 8 to complete the continuityof its toothed periphery and start the worm-wheel to rotating. The gaugeor finger 55 is carried by a horizontally arranged slide 56, Figs. 1, 3and 9 fitted in a U-shaped groove 57 on the free end of a lever 58 whichhas secured thereto a strap 59 overlapping a notched portion 60 in theslide 56. Threaded horiy-ontallyinto the lever 58 is a screw 61 on whoseforwardly extending end lock-nuts 62 are provided for refined adjustmentin timing the release of the latch 13 carried by the lever 58 andconsequent starting of a series of operations. The lever 58 has a ton ue'65 arranged to slide in a groove 66 provided in a stationary part ofthe frame as'indicated in Fig. 9 steadying its movements in a planeabout its fulcrum 67 at the right end of the machine. The latch 13,whose form is shown-in detail in Figs. 11, 12 and 13, is secured by thescrews 68 to the lever 58 adjacent its fulcrum and directly above theaxis of the worm-wheel 8. A leaf-spring 69 suitably secured in avertical position to the frame at one end presses with its other endagainst the lever 58 and yieldingly urges the gauge or finger 55 in adirection to carry it against the accumulatifig thread. It is to benoticed that the vertical faces of the tongue'and groove and 66 limitthe inward movement of the lever 58 and that under no circumstances isit possible for the gauge or finger 55 to obstruct insertion of a bobbininto winding position between the clamp-heads.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 7 and in dotted lines in Fig. 3, an openrectangular threadguide 70 is fulcrumed at 71, upon the carriage 18 withan arm 72 thereof slotted as indicated to receive a pin 74 fixed in anysuitable manner to a stationary part of the machine. Through the widerectangular opening in the thread-guide the thread passes from thesupply to the winding point and when a bobbin is filled and thecarriagerctracted to release it, the thread-guide is swung to theposition shown in dotted lines.

in Fig. 3 toassist in locating the thread across the face of the axiallydisplaceable rotary clamp-head. 1

Below and close to the winding point is arranged a thread partingmechanism preferably in the form of shears one blade 75 of which isstationary and is secured in any suitable manner to theframe of themachine with its cutting edge 76 directly beneath the winding point, andthe other andmovable blade 77 of which is fulcrumed at 78 upon thestationary blade. The movable blade 77 is provided with a pin 79 whichenters a slot 80 in a bar 81 adjustably secured at 82 to a part of thecarriage 18. Through the connections mentioned the'movable blade isactu'ated by the displ-aceable head. At its free end the movable bladeis provided with a guard 83. Another guard 84 is screwed to thestationary blade 76 with its free end overlapping the body of themovable shear blade which it spring-presses against the stationary bladeto insure thread-severance.

Beneath the winding point and thread the supply. The devicesconstituting a tray comprise a fixed section 85, Fig. 9, secured betweenportions of the frame, and a movable section 86, hinged at 87 to thesegment-a1 arm 48 and having upper and lower portions 88 and 89respectively arranged on opposite sides of the fixed section 85. Theupper portion 88 of the lower section is not as long as the lowerportion 89 thereof and its front end is bent down to afford a pusher forscraping a wound bobbin from the fixed section on to the lower portion89 of the movable section ofthe tray which, by the time the pusher hasscraped the bobbin off the fixedsection, has advanced far enough infront to hold the filled bobbin. .Retraction of the movable section willobviously result in scraping the filled bobbin from off. the lowerportion thereof against the fixed section 85 as will be clear from aninspection of Fig. 9.

The chute C consists of a pair of T-bars 90 suitably curved as shown inFig. 2 and supported respectively by pairs of ears 91 and 92 and askeletonized frame extension At the upper end of the skeletonized frameextension 93 is located a. hop-per 14: adapted to contain a mass ofempty bobbins. The hopper comprises a base-section 95 and a removablecover-section 96 whichis' secured thereto by screws. The hopper iscylindrical in formand is inclined to the vertical. The internal lowerwall 97 of the cover-section is conical in form, being flared outwardlynearly in parallelism with the conical wall 98 of an annular grooveturned in the basesection 95. Together the conical walls 97 and. 98define a substantially shaped end= less groove which is open internallyand is of a width slightly greater than the outside distance betweenbobbin flanges. The walls 97 and 98 are, at their lowermost portions,substantially tangent to spaced vertical planes. This U-shaped groovecommunicates with the chute C through an aperture 99 provided in thelowest part of the circular hopper whose axis it will be noticed isinclined to the horizontal.

A shaft '100 is rotatably mounted in the base-section 95 and within thehopper has secured to it a cone 101 whose tapering surface is preferablycoincident 'or nearly so with the inner side 98 of the endlessstationary groove. The cone 101 is preferably so tapered with respect tothe inclined shaft 100 that its sloping surface adjacent the dischargeopening is substantially tangent vto the vertical. On the cone 101 isfixedly secured a finger 102 with its concave extremity 103 arrangedpartly at least within the U-. shaped endless groove so as to contactwith any empty bobbins that may occupy the groove and lift them past thehighest part of the hopper where they are free to gravitate down and outof the discharge opening into the chute. I

While any suitable mechanism may be employed to turn the cone agitator101, .itis preferred to turn the cone about one-sixth of a revolutionevery bobbin winding cycle. To this end a one-way friction drive andratchet mechanism is suited. Such a mechanism as illustrated in thedrawings comprises a ratchet-wheel 104 which is permanently secured tothe rotatable shaft 100'in cooperative relation with a spring-pressedpawl 105 pivoted at 106 to the base-section 95 of the hopper. Also onthe rotatable shaft 100 is secured a circular disk 107 which is embracedby a strap 108 from which extends radially a sleeve 109 in which latteris housed a spring-pressed pin 110 with a movable abutment screw 111against which the spring actuating the pin reacts to press the'pinagainst a crescent-shaped friction block 112 confinexl between a bulgedportion 113 of the strap and the disk 107 At onejside the sleeve 109carries a ballended pin 114 which is embraced b a socketended link 115whose oppositeen embraces a ball-crank-pin 116 on the worm-wheel 8.Downward movements of. link 115 do not turn the cone agitator as thetendency of the friction-block 112 to rotate the same is opposed by thespringressed' pawl 105 but upward movements 0 the link 115 are notresisted by thepawl 105 and are effective to turn the cone agitator.vWhen a bobbin winding operation is completed and :when the loosesection of the worm-wheel s rings into position com letin the continuityof the worm-wheel, t e bal -crank-pin is given 118 integral with thehousing 117 extends over the exposed portion of the main-shaft 2 andabove the worm 5 thereon. Stationary circular housings 119120 are alsoprovided for the rotary clamp-heads. In front of the tray fortemporarily holding the discharged bobbins while the thread is beingcut, a section "121 of the frame is removably secured in place by thescrews 122 and permits access thereto when desired. In back of and belowthe winding point a guard or shield 123 is also provided to preventaccidental deflection of a falling bobbin into the path of thetransferring arm 48.

Opera-tz'0n.Snpposing'the machine is in operation and thread is beingwound upon an empty bobbin, when the accumulated thread is of the depthdesired, which may be'predeterniined by suitable adjustment of.

the am-nuts 62 carried by the lever 58, the latch 13 is displaced to oneside of the triangular lug 12 on the loose gear section 9 and the latterallowed to move into position completing the continuity of the wormwheeland causing the worm-wheel to rotate. The cam 28, fixed to theworm-wheel, engages the projection 36 and through the rod 23 displacesthe carriage 18 sufficiently to allow the filled bobbin to drop from between the clamp-heads onto the tray 85 therebeneath. The outwardmovement of the carriage 18 also swings the thread-guide 70 to thedotted line position shown in Fig. 3 and at the same time separates theblades 7 577 of the shearing mechanism sufficiently to allow thebobbin-thread to be positioned between; the cutting blades by the fallinbobbin. While the carriage is being shifted to separate the clamp-heads,the segmental arm is being'advanced with an empty bobbin in its recessedforward end to a position between the rotary clamp-heads, the movementof the transferring mechanism being timed to bring the empty bobbin intoclamping position immediately after the displacement of the carriage haspermitted a filled bobbin to drop. When the transferring mechanism isadvancing an empty bobbin to clamping position, the thread-eye 51fixedly secured to the segmental arm is moved to increase the bend inthe thread be tween the fixed thread-guides 52 and 53 and thereby totake up any slack that may have been unwound from the filled bobbin inits fall. This taking up action insures the 10- cation across the faceof the axially displaceable clamp-head of the thread which extends fromthe wound bobbin resting on the tray'to the remote fixed thread-guide 52if'it has not already been so positioned by the shiftable thread-guide70 and the guards 83 and 84 of the shear trimming mechanism. When thesegmental arm 48 carries an empty bobbin forward the member 86 scrapes afilled bobbin from off the fixed section of the tray onto the lowerportion of the movable section of the tray, in doing which it is likelyto carry the thread against the guard 84 fixed to the stationary cutt ngblade.

As the cam 28 continues in its rotation and allows the coil-spring 24 tomove the displaceable clamp-head toward. the non-dis- 'placeableclamp-head, the cam 37, if also on the worm-wheel, acts to compress thespring 34 and increase the force with which an empty bobbin isinitiallygripped. This 4 extra spring-pressure is applied only a shorttime before and a short time ofter the bobbin is gripped so as to reduceto a minimum friction due to the end-thrust. .that would otherwise haveto be overcome by the rotary shaft. While the carriage is being shiftedand a bobbin is being gripped the movable blade of the thread-cuttingmechanism approach'es the stationary blade and, by reason of theadjustments provided, it may be timed to cut the thread precisely ornearly so at the time the thread is gripped between the displaceableclamp-head and the bobbin thus reducing to a minimum thread waste.During this return movement of the carriage the thread-guide- 70, thesegmental transferring arm 48, the thread-eye 51, and the movablesection 86 of the tray are all moved to their normal or retractedposition. During the return movement of the carriage the crank-pin 116on the worm-wheel, in its last half of a revolution, acts to carry thecone agitator 101 and finger 102'around about one-sixth of a turn. binis replaced by an empty bobbin the spring 69,.presses the lever 58 andcarries the latch 13 again into the ath of the triangular lug 12 on themova le section 9 of the worm-wheel. And when all the trains ofmechansim have about completed their cycles of movements the latch 13retracts the movable gear section breaking the continuity in which theyoccupy a position with their axis or hub transverse the extent of thegroove and the peripheral edges of their When the filled bobflangesresting against the bottom of the groove. In no other position can thebobbins get into the groove. If sufficient quantities of the bobbins donot accumulate in the groove in advanceof the stirring finger 102103 thelatter willagitate the mass sufficiently to do so. The stirring finger102 as before mentioned moves about one-sixth of a revolution eachbobbin winding cycle and when it reaches the highest part of the hopperin a position substantially like that shown in Fig. M, the empty bobbinsare free to gravitate around the endless groove or partly across thesloping surfaces of the cone 101 and. into the endless groove andfinally out into the chute C. In the construction of hopper disclosed ithas been found impossible for the bobbins to choke at the exit from theendless groove or to wedge them- .selves in getting into the endlessgroove.

The cone agitator and the walls of the hop per are so constructed thatthe weight of the mass ,of empty bobbins within the hopper is not borneby the empty bobbins that occupy a position within the endless groove.Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis- 1: In a device for feeding bobbins, a chute, a hopper comprising astationary cylindrical receptacle supported with its axis inclined tothe vertical and having at its bottom a groove defined by opposedconical side walls spaced apart a distance approximately equal to theaxial length of the bobbins to be fed, and a conical bottom wall thelowermost portion of which is apertured to communicate with said chute,and an agitator disposed within said hopper and extending into the spacebetween said conical side walls.

2. In a device for feeding bobbins, a chute, a hopper comprising astationary cylindrical to the vertical and having at its bottom a groovedefined by opposed conical side walls spaced apart a distanceapproximately equal to the axial length of the bobbins to be fed, and aconical bottom wall the lowermost portion of which is apertured tocommunicate with said chute, and a conical agitator the surface of whichforms a continuation of the inner conical side wall of said groove, saidagitator having stirring means at one side of its axis arranged toextend into the space between said conical side walls and beingotherwise clear of extensions entering said space.

3. In a device for feeding bobbins, a stationary hopper having a maincylindrical side wall, the bottom portion of which is flared outwardlyin the form of a cone, and a conical bottom wall spaced from the lowerconical portion of the main side wall to 7 form a conical groove, saidhopper having its axis so inclined'to the vertical as to causereceptacle supported with its axis inclined the lowermost portion ofsaid conical groove to be substantially tangent to a vertical plane, achute communicating with said lowermost portion, and 'stirring meanswithin saidhopper.

4. A device for feeding bobbins or the like includinga chute, a hopperfor keeping the chute filled with empty bobbins comprising a stationaryreceptacle provided with an internally open circular groove of a widthapproximately that of the bobbins and arranged in a plane inclined tothe horizontal, said receptacle being provided with an apertureestablishing communication between the groove and chute, and an agitatorof conical form within the receptacle and having a finger arrangedthereon with its extremity rotatable in the groove whereby bobbins inthe groove may be carried around the groove until they gravitate intothe chute, the inner end of the finger being concaved to facilitateelevation of the bobbins from the lower portions of the groove to thehighest portion thereof and to prevent choking in the lowest part of thegroove.

5. In a device for feeding bobbins, a chute, a hopper comprising astationary cylindrical receptacle supported with its axis inclined 'tothe vertical and having at its bottom a groove defined by opposedconical side walls spaced apart a distance approximately equal to theaxial length of the bobbins to be fed, and a conical bottom wall thelowermost portion of which is apertured to communicate with saidvchute,and an agitator disposed within said hopper and extending into the spacebetween said conical side walls, the outermost one of said conical sidewalls having a minimum diameter substantially equal to the diameter ofthe cylindrical receptacle and a maximum diameter greater than thediameter of said cylindrical receptacle.

6. In a device for feeding bobbins, a chute, a hopper comprising astationary cvlindrical receptacle supported with its axis inclined tothe vertical and. having at its bottom a groove defined by opposedconical side walls spaced apart a distance approximately equal to theaxial length of the bobbins to be fed, and a conical bottom wall thelowermost portion of which is apertured to communicate with said chute,and an agitator disposed within said hopper and extending into the spacebetween said conical side walls, said conical side walls being at theirlowermost portions substantially tangent to spaced vertical planes.

7. In a feeding mechanism for bobbin winding machines, a mass containercomprising a nearly closed internally hollow box having a base sectionwith its upper face in aplane inclined to the horizontal, a rotatableshaft sustained thereby at right angles to its upper face, a cone onsaid shaft with its base in parallelism with said upper face of the basesection, a finger secured to and movable with said cone, said basesection being provided with a groove one side wall of which formssubstantially a continuation of the sloping sides of the cone, acup-shaped section secured in inverted position upon said base-section,said cup-shaped section having a flared internal wall defining with thegroove in the base section a channel of a depth not less than thediameter of the bobbins, said finger extending bodily into the channel,and means for intermittently rotating the shaft and cone carriedthereby.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

PARK A. HERB.

